Yes – you are right. When you are older, you will look back on these times of starting out together as wonderful, simpler times.

I had a bit of a reverse situation. I worked hard for years as an attorney, not making much time for dating. Then, when I was a whisper away from my 40th birthday, I met a nice 20-something fellow at the airport while traveling. I was hesitant to date him because of the age difference but he was so nice, I jumped in. 3 1/2 months later he proposed and soon after we were married. A few weeks after getting married, I got pregnant and gave birth to my son just shy of turning 41. It was a whirlwind but a wonderful one.

Since I was pregnant and 40, I decided to become a stay-at-home mom to be. My husband was so happy that I made this choice and he said that he was honored to take care of me. And so…I had sold my large, beautiful home, put my furniture in storage, and moved to his modest home. It was a major change for me. But I was so happy.

Years passed and we now live in a larger home (with more stuff!) and we are still happy and in love but we often reminisce about those early times in our little cottage. We often laugh about the time we had a minor gas leak and sat out in the garage in lawn chairs reading books and holding hands as we waited for the gas man to come. We were just so happy to have found each other. We didn’t have a care in the world.

Love,

Mary
Mary @ Mary’s Nest´s last post ..Culinary Her-story History

But then the economy tanked, my husband couldn’t find a job and eventually was laid-off from the one he had. The condo we own lost 30% of its value making our mortgage nearly upside-down. In the midst of all this we unexpectedly had a second child and suddenly our rosy picture of a home and a future was looking pretty dim.

These last two years I have struggled mightily with discontent–feeling like it’s not fair to have worked so hard, saved so much and watch so much of it disappear so quickly. Our two children are extremely energetic and I have grieved not having a yard for them to run and play in.

The good news is that my husband has found a great job in a community that (though it is not near family) is very affordable and a great family area. The bad news is that when we moved here we rented again hoping to keep our costs low while we waited for our condo to sell. Unfortunately, our living situation here has been nightmarish with neighbors who have determined to make our lives miserable. And our condo still has not sold.

But our situation has determined our resolve that a house with a yard is important for our family’s needs right now–more important than two cars, cable, a gym membership or fancy cell phones. Our kids don’t need any of that. They need a piece of the outside they can call their own.

The Lord has graciously provided the desire of our hearts allowing us to pull together the money for a lovely home with a great yard inspite of the fact that our condo in our old town has not sold. This home is more than we could’ve hope to purchase in our old community even before the financial setbacks of the last two years! We’ll move into our new home next week.

But I find myself wondering, have I really learned contentment through this season of our lives? Or have I just gotten really good at going from one type of discontent to another? Will having a home be a joy or will it be a source of strife and aggravation?

Though I fully expect the disappointment of finding many things that won’t be as great as we hoped, I also look forward to discovering the unexpected joys this home will bring us. I want to hold this place loosely and treasure the years that we have there. I am encouraged by what another commenter said: “Because of your humble beginnings you will appreciate everything.” I’m striving for this to be true and I hope I really will be a better person because of it.

Rona´s last blog post..I Love Pancakes and Waffles – Box or Scratch?

I am so thankful that my husband & I started out with so little. Once our children arrived, we had never known the pleasure of having “disposable income.” I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing when I stayed at home with my kids and lived on one income; I didn’t resent all the things that I could have thought I “sacrificed” to stay at home with them. Learning to live within your means can be tiring and frustrating at times (especially when the ol’ green monster of jealously rears its angry head), but it is one of the most valuable life skills a person can possess. All it takes is one look @ our economy (homeowners who borrowed beyond their means; banks who were willing to give them too much $) to see that.

Remember: this too shall pass. Enjoy the journey!

megan´s last blog post..Crunch Time